Wisconsin Prostitution and Solicitation Law

Question: What is prostitution and solicitation under Wisconsin law?

Answer: Prostitution is committed by anyone who has or offers to have non-marital sexual intercourse, masturbation, sexual contact for anything of value. So it’s really just an offer to commit any kind of a sex act for sexual gratification and to be compensated in some way—it doesn’t have to be money, but something of value. That is a Class A misdemeanor, so again it carries up to nine months in jail and a $10,000 fine and a possibility of some probation. Patronizing prostitutes is basically the same thing and it is a Class A misdemeanor. However, solicitation of prostitution is really someone who is causing another person to practice prostitution, and that is a Class H felony. So it is a higher level to basically set someone up as a prostitute.